Disappointment on libel law

Press, 7 May 1980, Page 18

Disappointment on libel law

PA Wellington A big disappointment to the newspaper industry in the last year has been the lack of progress to amend the defamation laws, which continue to be a great restraint on the freedom of expression and comment in New Zealand, the president of the Newspaper Publishers’ Association (Mr N. P. Webber) has said. In an address to a conference of newspaper editors sponsored by the New Zealand section of the Commonwealth Press Union, Mr Webber said.

“The fiendish difficulties of the law of defamation and contempt of court” were a. serious problem facing the industry. “In Western democratic countries we tend to talk glibly about the freedom of the press and it is indeed unthinkable to most citizens that that freedom could be taken away,” he said. “Rut we should never overlook that freedom of the press is one of the democratic values most quickly being eroded around the world. Take sober note of the fact that of the 152 members of the

United Nations, there is real freedom of the press in only 45 of those countries. “In more and more countries, most notably Africa and in the Caribbean, insidious government pressure is being applied to control their newspapers. Quite often it is not by direct controls but by- economic pressures of various kinds including the price and availability of newsprint, and with communications,” he said. “Make no mistake, there is strong official dislike of the press evident in New Zealand as well.”